Ilhan Omar became the first Somali-American legislator

Democrat Ilhan Omar made history when she was elected Minnesota State Representative.

Ms Omar, 34, came to the US as a refugee, fleeing war as a child.

Before she made it to the US, she spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp.

“I am so proud of this win because District 60B represents Minnesota at its finest," Ms Omar told the Star Tribune.

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"My neighbours and everyone here in this room, represents what we as a nation want to be: United in our diversity. Long time residents, East African immigrants and students – we came together and engaged in the political progress. We talked about the issues that concern us and we connected on the future we want to create.

“Tonight, we are celebrating this win, our win. But our work won’t stop. We will continue to build a more prosperous and equitable district – state and nation – where each and every one of us has opportunities to thrive and move forward together.”

Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT governor

Credit:
Kate Brown/Facebook

Oregon's Kate Brown made history today when she was elected as the first ever openly LGBT governor in the US.

Mrs Brown is bisexual, and married to a man. In her victory speech, she spoke of how as a young lawyer in the 1980s she discovered she was paying less than a male colleague with an identical job and faced the fear of losing her job because she was in a relationship with a woman at the time.

She said these experiences moved her towards working in public service.

“I vowed I would do everything in my power to make sure that no one — no one in this state — would have to face that level of fear or face that level of discrimination,” she said.

She's also become Oregon's second woman elected to the state's highest office.

Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina senator in US history

Another woman who made history was Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who became the first Latina senator in US history.